North Texans sending supplies to help those devastated by Texas Panhandle wildfires
People send supplies to help those impacted by wildfires
People in the Texas Panhandle are in need of basic necessities, like water and food, as they deal with wildfires, but they also need items for livestock, like hay and feed. Across North Texas, people are answering the call to help and sending supplies to those in need.
FORT WORTH, Texas - People in the Texas Panhandle are in need of basic necessities, like water and food, as they deal with wildfires, but they also need items for livestock, like hay and feed.
Across North Texas, people are answering the call to help and sending supplies to those in need.
When packing for a trip, every inch of space matters.
"Fritch is by a lake, it’s a canyon, it’s remote. It’s a place to kind of retreat and get away from the city," Christna Watson said.
Watson isn’t driving six hours north for a peaceful vacation.
She’s bringing clothes, blankets, and other necessities to her sister’s family, who lost everything in the Smokehouse Creek fire that’s ravaging the Texas Panhandle.
"The only thing I was thinking was thank God my sister’s alive," Watson said.
The wildfire is now the largest in state history.
It's burned more than one million acres, and two people have died.
Firefighters face difficult weather conditions as they battle largest wildfire in Texas history
Firefighters in Texas faced rising temperatures, whipped-up winds and dry air Saturday in their battle to keep the largest wildfire in state history from turning more of the Panhandle into a parched wasteland.
Watson collected donation items from the McKinney area, and her older sister did the same in Fort Worth.
"It’s been huge, the whole DFW Metroplex has showed up," she said.
While Watson is finished with her first collection, the Fossil Ridge High School volleyball team is just starting its donation drive.
"Our motto for our program and our culture is ‘All In,’ and so we kind of used that on the court and off the court as well," coach Hollie Huston said.
Huston said the goal is to fill two school buses with donation items to leave on Thursday for Amarillo.
The team is collecting water, diapers, and non-perishable food items.
"We’re hoping it will really pick up and we can fill the buses up, and that would be a great problem to have is to not have enough room for all the stuff," Huston said.
Classes at Fossil Ridge High School are holding competitions to see who can collect the most donations.
Schools that are typically rivals on the court are asking how they can join in.
"When you see those stories and those pictures, the visuals of what people are going through, it’s just unimaginable," Huston said.
A different reason to rally together as a team and a state.
"Neighbors from five miles away, to 500 miles away, come together to help each other," said Monty Dozier, with the Texas A&M Agri-Life Extension Service recovery team.
The Panhandle region of Texas is known for its agriculture production.
Dozier is collecting supplies for livestock.
"The thing we’re most in need of is hay. So we’ve set up places in the Panhandle for people to drop off and producers get those hay resources," he said.
People from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and as far away as Montana, have sent hay and feed to the Panhandle.
"It’s amazing to see as people bring in supplies. You’ll see trucks full of hay coming down the highway. Very heartwarming," Dozier said.
And with every donation and act of generosity, people unpack a sense of hope.
"I’m believing for a new beginning, a new start, and there will be beauty from ashes," Watson said.
The Fossil Ridge High School volleyball team will be collecting donations Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. outside the high school.
Then again Monday through Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Click here for more information on how to send supplies to help those in the Texas Panhandle.